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Princess Diana employed a canny strategy in an attempt to reduce paparazzi interest surrounding her through her clothing, which has seen her hailed as the "Princess of Athleisure," according to a new episode of Newsweek's The Royal Report podcast.
Chief royal correspondent Jack Royston and royal commentator Kristen Meinzer discussed the legacy that Diana's fashion choices have had in a special episode of The Royal Report marking the 25th anniversary of the princess' death in a 1997 Paris car crash.
Among many of her most iconic fashion looks, Meinzer highlighted that one of the most enduring aesthetic choices that Diana leaned on was her love of athleisure.
The athleisure style of dressing sees sports and exercise wear such as bicycle shorts combined with leisurewear like sweaters and coats. This term was being used as early as the 1970s though did not work its way into mainstream use until the 2000s.
"We still talk about Diana's fashion today. I have gone to exhibits, including to Kensington Palace to see her most iconic outfits on display," Meinzer told Royston of the public demand to engage with the princess' style more than two decades since her death.
"People are still fascinated with how she dressed, not just at those big dazzling events like her 'revenge dress' that we all know about or dancing at the White House with John Travolta, we also have to talk about her athleisure."
"She was kind of the 'Princess of Athleisure' before athleisure was even called athleisure," she continued before highlighting a specific example of the royal's deploying her athleisure wardrobe in her battle against the paparazzi.
"One of the things we know about today is that whenever she went to or from her gym she would always wear the same sweatshirt from Virgin Airlines and biker shorts and that wasn't just a fashion choice, it was very cleverly a way to be too boring for the paparazzi to want to shoot her."
"Because she would be in the same outfit every day," she added, "Why shoot Diana every single day on the way to the gym? it's not any more interesting then than the day before."
Diana deployed this strategy at the end of 1995 and wore the navy blue sweatshirt emblazoned with the Virgin Atlantic slogan and mascot across its front to and from the Chelsea Harbour Club gym which she frequented for its proximity to Kensington Palace.
The princess was reportedly gifted the sweatshirt by Virgin founder and friend Sir Richard Branson.
In 1997, just months before her death and around the time she overhauled her royal wardrobes with a sale of evening dresses at Christies in New York, Diana is said to have given the famous sweatshirt to her personal trainer Jenni Rivett along with other workout clothes.
Rivett auctioned the gift in 2019 for a sale price of $53,533, the proceeds of which she said she intended to use to support a Malawian family, which she believed would have made Diana happy.
In a note included with the sweatshirt at auction, Rivett wrote: "This sweatshirt was given to HRH by Sir Richard Branson. It became her most worn top on her regular visits to the gym,
"She felt there were far more important issues to focus on in the world than her gym attire and therefore decided that wearing the famous Virgin sweatshirt to every session, would be a good way to stop the media frenzy."
"A few months before her untimely death she called me to say she had left a few sweatshirts for me. Amongst them, this one—which I have now decided to part with."
The many iconic photographs of Diana in her gym wear continue to inspire stylists and fashion designers today with model Hailey Bieber recreating a selection of looks for a 2019 French Vogue editorial.
In addition to Diana's iconic Virgin Atlantic athleisure looks she also amassed a wardrobe of other recognizable sweatshirts including a Gyles & George knit jumper with the slogan "I'm a luxury few can afford" written across the front and back, and also the famous "black sheep" sweater from Warm and Wonderful.
Both of these designs have been reproduced in collaboration with their original designers in recent years by collegiate clothiers Rowing Blazers, the demand for which saw a run on stock after their initial release.
This reintroduction of styles made famous by Diana during her lifetime are evidence of the fact that her style legacy endures to this day, 25 years after her untimely death at the age of 36.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more